


I Told A Star

by orphan_account



Series: Different Encounters [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: No romo, Oliver Returns Secretly, Sibling Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-11 11:21:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20545316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Thea Queen knew her brother was alive. She just never expected him to pop up, staring at his gravestone. Or... You know. Pop up at her house, period.I don't own Arrow: I can barely keep my Social Studies notes straight, forget a TV show!





	1. Chapter Three

Thea Queen had been having a crappy day. It was the anniversary of her brother's death, and the anniversary of her father's death as well. In the five years since it had happened, it had always been the day where she could not forget about them. She always had the day off, always said no to any sort of activity. She usually slept in, spent the day in Ollie's room, reading his textbooks, or playing a game on his old computer that seemed to lag far too much, and then ate in the kitchen, and went back to bed.

Today, was no different. She ate a little bit of scrambled egg, and then made her way up to his room. She used the key that Raisa had kept and closed the door behind her. Her mother was unlikely to even notice Thea today. She was busy with her wedding. Thea didn't exactly like Walter, but she didn't hate him either. She just felt like her mother was trying to replace her father. What, were they going to replace Oliver next? No, thank you!

She curled up on his window seat, after selecting on of his schoolbooks. It was 'The Odyssey'. Oliver had once told her about it, while he had struggled through one of the chapters. It was about a man who was trying to return home. She'd never read it before, and after a minute, the poetry started to get a little irritating, and the words, old fashioned to a 't' didn't help. Looking up from the pages, she stared out across the yard.

Someone was there.

What in the... That wasn't Tommy. Nor was it Walter, or Moira, and it certainly wasn't one of the servants. They didn't even go near the two graves, unless it was to clean them. And that had happened yesterday. (Thea was a bit obsessed with the graves)

So, who in the world was sitting beside her father’s headstone, looking completely at ease?

Making a choice, Thea closed 'The Odyssey' and headed outside, her bare feet damping at the few that remained on the lawn.

She wrapped her fingers around the spine of the book as she drew closer, intending to whack the man over the head if he did anything that might suggest his intentions were not good.

She edged closer as he rose to his feet. She defiantly did not know him. He was wearing jeans, and a leather jacket, with a black baseball cap. He's taller than her by a good bit. Maybe two meters tall; she really can't tell. But he's defiantly taller than Tommy. She decides to call out, first, almost shouting. "What are you doing?!"

It's almost comical, the way he jumps in surprise. But then he's whirling around, hands in fists, his expression scary.

His eyes are blue, and his face is very familiar. She sees it every time she walks into her room and looks at that photograph on her desk.

"Oliver." She whispers, and he bolts. His eyes are wild, just for one moment, and then he's turning, and vanishing.

She runs after him, dropping 'The Odyssey' without a second thought, and sprints, trying to keep up. She stubs her toe on a root, and grits her teeth, pushing past it, and making her way after him, until they reach the low wall surrounding the Queen Mansion grounds. He stops, feet planted, weight even, back to her. She mimics his stance, about three or four meters away.

"Turn around." She orders, and his head turns slightly. Then, with indescribable grace, runs at the wall, kicks off it, and flips over the top.

"I'm going to need help." She decides.

[*_*]

"Felicity Smoak?" Thea asks, making her voice seem as firm as possible. She's dressed for school, and is not looking forwards to what she's about to do. "I need to talk to you."

The blond looks up.

"Felicity, I swear to God, it was my brother." Thea says fiercely. "So, help me, or I will do this myself."

"You'd get caught." Felicity points out instantly. "And likely go to jail. I don't think you'd like jail; I didn't. Not that I've been imprisoned. My old boyfriend, he was. But, he's dead now. Which, you didn't need to know. And-"

Thea halts the rant by raising one finger, pointing at the blond. "Felicity. Stop talking. It isn't helping."

She's silent.

"Good." Thea says, calm as she can be. Although she's not. She's just making herself look like she is. All an act. Something she has become very good at. "Now. I am aware that Walter thinks you are one of the best in our IT department. He recommended you personally."

"He did?" Felicity exclaims, clearly surprised, and Thea glares at her. "Sorry."

"Anyways." Thea continues. "I am aware that Cooper Sheldon, your ex-boyfriend, was arrested for erasing student debts with a x-axis, bio-numeric algorithm. I am also aware that he, and you, were both in the same programs at MIT. So, I believe that you can help me."

"I can!" Felicity exclaims brightly. "Or, I could. But it would be-"

"You still visited Cooper in prison." Thea says firmly. "I think you're fine with some civil disobedience."

"How do you know about Cooper?" Felicity asks suddenly, and Thea smiles. Reaching down, she unzips her backpack, and pulls out the file Walter had on Felicity. She passes it over, giving the IT worker a few minutes to read through it.

"So, Felicity Megan Smoak." Thea says, lacing her fingers together, and placing them on the woman's desk, causing said woman to look up at her. "Are you going to help me, or not?"

"Yes." Felicity says quietly, setting down the file.

_I guess blackmailing people really does work then._ Thea thinks in amusement, smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Arrow: I can barely keep my Social Studies notes straight, forget a TV show!

"Huh." Felicity says, three days later, her rapid typing ceasing. "This him?"

Thea leans over, and peers at the screen, as Felicity enlarges the window. "Yeah, looks like him." She agrees, frowning. "Where was this?"

"Verdant." Felicity replies, and Thea is silent. "You know, that club in the Glades-"

"I know where Verdant is Felicity." Thea says impatiently. "When was this taken?"

"Around midnight, last night. And last week, same place, same time, on the Monday. Why?"

"Thanks for your help." Thea says, with an air of finality, before she stands. "That will be all."

[*_*]

A week later, Thea is standing in the alleyway, outside of the club, leaning against the wall. Wearing leggings, and a dark purple sweater that hangs loosely off one shoulder, she has running shoes on. Just in case he makes a break for it... again.

She checks her phone, then slides it back into her pocket. It's time. Why isn't he here.

Then, a door opens down the street.

Thea pushes off the wall and starts creeping towards it.

"Roy, just don't." A voice says, sounding annoyed. "Ok? I am not in the mood tonight."

Roy. He was the kid who stole her purse, and then gave it back, and saved her from those guys in the Glades. What was Roy doing here?

Maybe it wasn't that Roy. But it wasn't a really common name, now was it?

Someone, presumably this Roy, answers. "You've been annoyed for days now. What is with you?"

Silence.

"Sorry, I know what. I just forgot."

"It's fine. Go get some sleep Roy."

"Are you going to?"

Silence.

"That's what I thought."

A boy, around Thea's age, maybe, in a red hoodie, the hood pulled up over his head, steps out of the doorway, and lets the door slam behind him. Defiantly Roy William Harper Jr.

Thea waits for a long time, but no one else comes out.

Was Felicity wrong? What's behind that door? Who was Roy talking to? How does he know them? What are they doing back there?

She takes a breath, and walks back to where she was before, and slides down, back against the brick wall, and thinks in her head, sorting through the questions.

_Was Felicity wrong?_ Maybe. She can't be certain, but she's not going back to that woman. Walter commented on it, and she doesn't want to give her mother false hope.

_What's behind that door?_ This question is harder. There could be any number of things. Drug dealers. Human trafficking. A gang base. All of the nasty options make Thea shutter involuntarily.

_Who was Roy talking to?_ Was it Oliver, maybe? Or a friend? She has no way of knowing unless she asks Roy, goes in, and asks them (And she's not doing that, she's not stupid) and even if she does ask Roy, who's to say he won't just lie to her?

_How does he know them?_ Again, the only way to find out is to either ask him or go in and ask the people inside.

_What are they doing back there?_ Again, she doesn't think she entirely wants to know. Ever. But maybe she does.

Thea slams her head back against the wall in frustration, and groans. "Why can't anything ever be easy?"

"I don't know."

Thea yelps, and jumps to her feet. Getting attacked twice, both times without warning, tends to make people violent when startled. So, she thinks she's justified when she lands her fist on Roy's face.

He yells in pain, stumbling back, and holding his face. "What the heck?"

"You deserve it." She growls, and he looks up at her.

"And here I was, thinking that sudden punches used to be your bro- were not your style."

"What were you about to say?" Thea snaps, stepping towards him.

"What do you mean?" He doges the question, and Thea steps forwards again, and he steps back, nervously.

"I mean, what were you about to say. You started to say 'sudden punches were your bro—' and then you stopped. What were you about to say?"

"I can't tell you." Roy replies, looking nervous.

"Yes you can. Tell me, or I'll punch you again."

"He wants you safe!" He blurts, and then groans, head drooping. "Oh, he is so going to kill me."

"I'm going to, if you don't explain." Thea threatens, and his head jerks up.

"He's a lot scarier, even when he's not trying to be." Roy says, with conviction. "And I am not looking forwards to him yelling at me already, so don't even bother trying to get anything out of me."

"Roy William Harper Jr, I swear to God—"

He turns and runs.

With a groan, Thea takes a deep breath, and goes after him.

She's definitely a bit slower than he is, but she's smaller, and fast. And he also took a fist to the face, and she's probably a bit more motivated than he is.

She sprints after him, whipping around a corner. He jumps down a short staircase, and she copies him, in a way. She does a move that Oliver showed her years ago, much to her mother's displeasure, and their father's amusement. She jumps, kicking off the top of the low railing, and lands in a crouch, sort-of Spider-Man style. And she keeps running.

Roy jumps over an abandoned cars hood, and she copies him. He climbs a short, chain link fence, and she does the same, ignoring the jolting impact of her landing. He whirls around a corner, and she does the same… only to get KO'd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My story.  
My rules.
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
Flurkin


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Arrow: I can barely keep my Social Studies notes straight, forget a TV show!

"He's going to kill us." A girl declares.

"He's not going to kill us." A boy argues.

"He's scary! Especially when he's mad, have you seen him?" The girl snaps, clearly agitated.

_Where was she?_

"Yeah. Is that why you think he'll kill us?" The boy asks, sounding genuinely curious as to why the girl is so adamant about her side of the debate.

"We kidnapped the one person who he told us, is off-limits!" The girl exclaims, and Thea can almost picture… Whoever they are, throwing their arms up in the air, annoyed.

"We did not—OK, yeah, kind of. But she was chasing me!" The boy admits.

"I hate you." The girl mutters.

"It's mutual."

"Fantastic."

"Oh, hey, look, she's waking up."

"Wonderful. We're so dead."

Thea blinked her eyes. "Ooh… that hurts."

"Can't say I'm all that surprised."

Thea looks up at the girl who has just spoken. She's got short, spiky black hair, and that seems to be her favorite color, because she has black ripped jeans on, and a black leather jacket. She's smaller, definitely smaller than Roy, probably shorter than Thea. "Hi."

"Hi." Thea says softly in return. "Who are you?"

"Sin." The girl replies, squatting in front of Thea. "He is going to kill us."

"No, he's not." Roy argues, from where he's standing. "Not in front of her."

"Maim us."

"She's awake. He wouldn't."

"Have you met him?"

"Who are you talking about?" Thea asks, and maybe it's the probable concussion, but she is seriously confused. "Who's going to kill you?"

"Royal." Sin says airily.

"He doesn't like being called that." Roy points out. "And we just kidnapped her. Do you really want to step further across the line?"

The last part sounds almost teasing, but not quite. Like it is probably a joke, but 'Royal' might still might kill them. Almost… uncertain.

"Abercrombie, you live in the Glades. We're a kilometer over the line." Sin points out dryly, then looks back to Thea. "Royal _will_ kill us."

"What's his real name?" Thea asks, hopeful for more information.

"Dunno." Sin admits. "He's never told us, and I needed to have something other than 'idiot' to call him, and this apparently is better."

"You both… call him… Royal?" Thea asks slowly, and Sin nods. "Why?"

"Said it was similar to his last name." Roy shrugs. "It was a joke at first, but I think he likes it now."

"Is… '_Royal'_ coming here?" Thea asks nervously.

"Should be here in a minute or two." Sin replies. "Just for your information; you have protection, so don't let him walk all over you."

"What? Protection?"

"That's why I've been following you." Roy admits sheepishly. "Apparently, you're important. He saved me, and I wanted to repay the favor. This was it."

"So, stealing my bag, that's how you follow me?" Thea snaps, and he snorts.

"That happened before we met him." He answers her question, then tenses as something lands above them.

Thea looks up, along with Roy and Sin, and then takes in the room she's being held in. She's leaning against the wall, hands bound by thin leather strings. She's in a clock tower; that much she can tell, where she can see the sun rising from, has a chunk of the lower circle missing, but otherwise it's intact. There's a table, with equipment on it, and a group of cots. After a quick, second inspection, she realizes that certain parts of the floor have been marked off, with stage tape, but black. She wonders why, but then decides to find out later.

"For the record—" Roy calls, before anyone appears, "—she was chasing me, and I couldn't shake her, so Sin knocked her out."

A man drops from the ceiling, coming from a skylight that Thea hadn't noticed before, and lands somehow almost silently on the floor, in a crouch. He has a black leather jacket, with a black hood attached to it, hiding his eyes, and a sort of black mask on, like what hockey goalies used to use, but not quite. He's wearing jeans, and Thea notices a knife at his waist.

"Get out." He orders quietly, as he stands up. He doesn't sound angry, just firm, like he's telling someone a fact of life, that everyone (should, even if they don't) knows. Sin nods and pushes herself up.

"C'mon Abercrombie." She tells Roy, and opens a hatch in the floor, climbing down. Roy follows her, mock saluting the man, who Thea assumes is Royal, before vanishing. It's not disrespectful. More like a joke, between almost-friends.

Thea looks back at Royal, as he steps forwards, drawing his knife.

"What are you doing with that?" She demands, and he doesn't answer. "Hey! Tell me!"

"They shouldn't have tied you up." He says quietly, kneeling beside her, and cutting the bindings, not letting the blade touching her skin.

She knows that voice.

Looking up at him, she watches as he sheaths the knife, and drops his hood, removing the mask. She leans into him, not even caring if he doesn't want her to touch him, and his arms wrap around her, her left shoulder pressing into him, along with her face. They rock back and forth, neither one of them speaking for a long, long time.

She's aware of him repeating the same thing, over and over and over.

"Sorry."

"I'm so sorry."

"Sorry."

"I should have come back."

"I'm so sorry."

She doesn't care. She's not mad. She doesn't care that the Vigilante is Royal.

And she definitely doesn't care that Royal is her older brother, who supposedly died over five years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The entire Russia thing never happened here. And that is the end of this short story, BTW. It was just a quick idea, but if a lot of you want me to continue, I will consider it. But if I do write and post a follow-up, it probably won't be posted until Summer 2020.  
My story.  
My rules.  
Thanks for reading!  
Flurkin!

**Author's Note:**

> These chapters are going to be shorter than my usual chapters, only about 1,000 words, instead of 2,000+ words, but oh well.  
I suck at writing Felicity. That's probably why she's absent from so many of my stories. I actually like her as a character, but if I can't write her well, I don't end up writing her. So, sorry Olicity fans, but I will remind you...  
My story.  
My rules.  
Thanks for reading!  
Flurkin.


End file.
